The Herd with Colin Cowherd - The Herd - Hour 1 - Jayson Tatum's game 7 performance

Episode Date: May 15, 2023

Thoughts on the LeBron James and the Lakers eliminating the Warriors Colin gives Jayson Tatum props for his 51-point performance in game 7 against the 76ers What to make of Ja Morant's recent suspensionSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year.

Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host, Kear Games. This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that it's really not safe to have anywhere, but you're having them with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit or armor it? It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to.

Listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. Thanks for listening to The HARD podcast. Be sure to catch us live every weekday from 12 to 3 Eastern, 9 to noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and FS1. Find your local station for the Hurt at Fox Sports Radio.com or stream us live every day on the iHeartRadio app by searching Hurd. Now let's get this party started. You're listening to Fox Sports Radio. Ah, here we go on a Monday and a good one. Live in Los Angeles, it's the hurt.

Wherever you may be and however you may be listening, thanks for Megadus. Part of your day. Spent Friday, Saturday, Sunday. They're watching movies, streaming shows, or a lot of sports. It is great to be here one hour from now where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong. There is a lot of it. J. Mack, I want to start the show with something. the Lakers moved on.

He did. And dominated, dominated the warriors. And a lot of people, some guy came out to me yesterday. His name was actually Colin. I was with my daughter having a coffee. And he said, do you believe in him now? Do you believe in him now? And so I had a little bit of an epiphany so much I called Ryan driving around yesterday.

You called him? Do you want to hear my epiphany? I do. All right, let's start with this. I did pick the Lakers to win the. a playing game, and I did pick them to beat Memphis. But I thought they would lose to Golden State, and I've said they're not a championship team.

And they really handled Golden State. Now, I didn't think the Warriors were a championship team either, said that multiple times, but it was the way in which they dominated mostly the Warriors. And so I don't hate them. I just don't get them. And so yet many people that I respect, a lot of people, I mean, my guy Nick Wright's been saying, they're going to win the NBA championship. And a lot of smart people believe that.

And I'm like, I don't get it. Like, they also had the best record in the NBA since the trade deadline in the whole league. Not the Celtics, not the nuggets, not the box. Lakers do. And so I asked myself yesterday, I went in a long drive after that guy came up to me. I said, you understand him now? And I'm like, no, I don't. So I had about a 20-minute drive and I got into my car and it hit me.

I mean, nobody hit me. It hit me. I'm comparing this LeBron to LeBron and his prime. Of course he looks average. He's the greatest basketball player probably ever. Of course he looks old and at times mediocre. And of course he disappears at times. So this player that I've loved, discussed,

built my show around during the basketball season for 15 years. It came to me. Stop comparing this LeBron to old LeBron and just compare them to the rest of mortals. And so I went this morning and we got the play-in game, which the league doesn't count statistically, but I consider it like a playoff game. So I counted the play-in game, every game against Memphis and every game against the Warriors.

And then what is LeBron? Let's get out of me thinking of LeBron now against old LeBron. Pretend it never existed and there was just this guy named LeBron James. What is he? And what he is is 24 points a game, 10 rebounds, 5 and a half assists, 50% shooting, 38 minutes per game. Oh, wait, that's a better version of Jalen Brown of the Celtics. Yeah, now I get it. that's double the rebounds of Jalen Brown.

That's 60% more assist than Jalen Brown. So it's a bigger, stronger, more experienced, more winning when it matters, version of Jalen Brown. And then it hit me. Now I get it. What the Lakers are, they have arguably the best player in the whole thing, AD, certainly the best defensive player left. They have a player that's better than Jalen Brown.

I mean, do you realize, only three players left are averaging 20 plus points, 10 plus rebounds, and five plus assists. Yokic, Tatum, and LeBron. So if you consider LeBron, basically, somewhere around Jalen Brown and Tatum, then you have AD who's arguably the best player left and certainly the best defensive player, and then throw in like a Jason Tatum level player, and then Austin Reeves and DeLoe are certainly capable. offensive players.

They can be a little spotty because they're not superstars, but they're more than capable. And a coach that's been very good in-game and in-series adjustments, Darvin Ham, and some role guys who are hot and cold. Okay, now I look at them and think, oh, it's different now. It's not AD who's good every other game, an old LeBron, an undrafted Austin Reeves. if you really forget and stop myself comparing this LeBron to the greatest basketball ever,

player ever LeBron, and just say, what is he now? Just compartmentalize it. What is he now? 24, 10, 5 and a half, 50% shooting, great experience, insanely high basketball intellect, situationally, a marvel. Okay, now it's a championship team. And I will pick them to beat Denver and 6. and I think they match up okay with Boston.

I didn't before that drive. I couldn't figure it out. I mean, part of being a host, this part I love, is not just watching games and having an opinion. Anybody that's listened to me knows. I like theories. Holistic. What's the bigger picture?

And I just haven't understood this Laker team all since the trading deadline. I thought they were bad early. They were. And then they make these moves. and I'm like, okay, they barely beat Utah again in Chicago. And yeah, they'll beat Memphis because Memphis is immature, but they can beat the Warriors. And they kind of hammered them.

So I'm no longer, at least for the rest of this year, going to compare LeBron to young LeBron. I'm just going to be able and capable of just saying, what is he tonight? What will he be in game one against Denver? 24, 10, 5 and a half, 37, 38 minutes, 50% shooting. We may be the highest basketball intellect. we've seen in our lives.

It hit me. It took me a while. I'm slow. But it hit me. They'll beat Denver. Okay. Let's talk Jason Tatum. So every Celtic fan in this country, be honest with yourself.

No, no, no. I mean, really honest. You woke up yesterday morning. Now, on this show Friday, J. Mack and I said, I said, Celtics win easily. And J. Mack said, easily? I'm like, yeah, I'm going to win easily. But you woke up as a Celtics. fan and your takeaway was, okay, they'll win if Tatum's great.

And the reason you ask yourself that is because Tatum's not always great, although he's a great player, but he can be a little bit tight in big spots. You know, like earlier in the series against the Sixers, not last year or the year before, earlier in this series. But you knew if he brought it, he would be great because he often is. But everybody that watches the Celtics, the real fans that watch the games know, this team dominates blowouts. They led the NBA in point differential.

They're Mike Tyson. They knock a lot of people out. In fact, they knock more people out than anybody in the league. But they were sub-500 regular season when games got close. Or maybe it was just 500. 13-13. I think we looked it up. So yes, Jason Tatum delivered yesterday.

But you were nervous in the morning and you didn't know. And we still don't know. You're really going to brag about Jason Tatum's 51-point game 10 years from now to Boston Bar over a Sam Adams? if they lose to Miami or get vanquished by LeBron in the finals. Yeah, there's nothing cooler than a guy bragging about Jason Tatum's second round win over sagging Philly. The great ones don't talk about the second round.

MJ didn't, Kobe didn't. LeBron doesn't. The great ones are judged by the finals. And last year he lost the finals. But he was magnificent. He's capable of doing it more than he does. I'm happy for him, but don't lie about it. You know and I know you woke up yesterday as a Celtic fan thinking,

okay, if Tatum's great, we'll be great. Larry Bird did it forever. Russell did it forever. Cousie did it forever. You'd seen it. Kevin Garnett came and did it. With Tatum had the talent, will he be the guy? And he was, and he deserves credit.

And the NBA is a league in which there are steps to greatness. And he just checked another box off the list. a 51 point game seven. Remember Janice for years and years and years and years and years. You're like, yeah, but he doesn't like to hit free throws. He can be reluctant. Then he had that great series in the final one. We checked it off.

And then this year he reverted back to what he was earlier, which is kind of regressing, afraid to get the ball, doesn't want to get fouled at the free throw line. So this is a box checked. A box checked. But years from now, nobody's going to care about a second round winning against Philly. and this is going to seem incredibly hollow if they get beat by the heat. Don't think they will.

Pretty sure they won't, but if they do. And it's not going to feel that great either if the Lakers, your primary rival, beat you again. And some of this is Philly just quit, which we kept telling you all year, love to watch him, didn't trust him. But it was a remarkable moment. He checked a box. He deserves all the credit. He's a remarkable player.

And Tatum talked after. Going into game six, I was too, it sounds crazy. I was like too locked in. I was too tight. I was, you know, just two in my own head thinking about what do I need to do. And today I was more myself, you know, yesterday pregame. I was relaxed, laughing, joking. And, you know, that's when I play my best one.

You know, I'm having fun. Just try not to think about, right, the pressure. what everybody's going to say, you know, just focus on the game and having fun. What Jason Tatum told you right there is what he was was in his head, which he gets into a lot. He didn't yesterday, as he just said, and he gave you an all-time performance. Play don't think about it. I said this last week. He's a great kid.

Sometimes the best players aren't great people. people on the floor. They punch, they push, they're selfish. As an athlete, sometimes that's okay, especially in game sevens. Yesterday, Tatum knew he was the best player on the floor, wave people off, this is me, celebrated his greatness. That's okay. You wouldn't want that as a human being, but like an athlete, game seven, that's what we want. Stay out of your head, stay in the moment, and crush. Doc Rivers after, if he'd ever seen a performance, it's quite like Jason Tatum's. Dr. Jason Tatum set the record for the most points in a game seven.

As far as games that you were involved in, that's either a player or a coach, how many other playoff games do you think were of this caliber? I've seen one. And it was in this building, unfortunately, and it was LeBron. That's the only time I've seen the performance like that live. I'm glad that I haven't seen many. But, yeah, I've seen one. Tatum was, he was not only unbelievable, he played just hard defensively.

For the record, what was the knock early on LeBron James? Maybe LeBron and Jason Tatum have some similarities. What was the knock on LeBron? He didn't want to take the big shot. He passed too much. Now, I didn't buy into it because I thought he was such a great passer. And he was putting up massive numbers. But LeBron sometimes the knock was he's kind of a little pass.

Passive late. Didn't really buy into it. He just wasn't as aggressive as a Kobe or an MJ late. But I didn't buy. He was passive. Sometimes I feel Tatum is a little leans toward passive. Wasn't yesterday. But it's a pretty good comp with LeBron and Tatum.

It was an all-time performance. Okay, the John Morant stories around the corner. The warrior Steve Kerr acknowledges we weren't championship material. Colin Wright, Colin Wrong, top of next hour. Be sure to catch live editions of the herd. Weekdays and noonie. 9 a.m. Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, FS1, and the IHeart Radio app. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying.

Yep, that's me, CliverTaylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for Raw, filtered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of Ton Tontons and Wampas on the Ice Planet Hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to blow your mind on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The very talented John Morant in trouble again this weekend, suspended by the Grizzlies after a video shows, him messing around with a gun for the second time.

This is something I've talked about before where the football culture in America is better than the basketball culture. and I love both sports. But when you come into the NFL, you're often 23 years old. When you come into the NBA, you're 19. In college, things happen that you have to grow up and be accountable and have a schedule and you have a life beyond your sport. A 17, 18, 19-year-old male, because boys mature much slower than girls, is a different element altogether than a 23, 24-year-old male.

Okay? John Morant comes into the NBA. NBA at 19, there's money, there's fame, there's pressure, there's this, there's that. Where's the support system? I'm in no way saying he's not responsible for his actions. But the NBA, and this is on Adam Silver, has long considered college basketball the enemy. And that is absolute nonsense. Go to college. Be hard coached. Have a schedule. Have responsibilities. Be part of a program, not just yourself. Stop using basketball. players as ATMs for your personal needs, nourishment, and accounts.

The bottom line is John Morant failed, but so did the Grizzlies and Nike and his father and the NBA. That's why I like the football culture. You can be cut. Tom Brady could have been cut in his prime. You're part of a collective. Tom Brady was coached hard in high school, then coached hard in football, and didn't get everything he wanted.

Stop pandering to the players. called tough love. This is not an anti-player message. Go ahead. Give your kid breakfast. Ice cream, a bowl of ice cream every day for breakfast. Congrats. He's happy. And he'll have diabetes at 25. Stop pandering to the players. Tough love. Coach him hard. Make him accountable. Make him be part of a collective. It benefits them so you don't have stories like this. John Morant's a wonderful talent. I've never really thought he's a franchise guy. I think he's a bit of a firework show, and somebody now has to clean up the mess for the second time.

And I'm not saying he's not responsible too for this. But I wasn't ready at 19 or 20 years old for fame and fortune and pressure. Who can handle that stuff? Adam Silver has acknowledged publicly. My players are miserable. You don't hear football players saying that, because football players are coached hard and not pandered to. and know they have to be part of something beyond themselves.

And that's why college basketball is so valuable for these young men. We're seeing now college basketball women is exploding in popularity because it's cool. You're part of something beyond yourself and your shoe deal. This is not an anti-NBA player message. I love the sport. One of the complaints I get about my show is I talk too much NBA. I love it. I've loved it since I was a kid watching the Blazers and Son.

But the culture is at times, not universally, not primarily, but at times it can be broken. Let a kid stay in college and be part of something. Hold him accountable. This is not just John Morant. It's the league. It's the Grizzlies. It's dad. It's Nike.

We too often use our young basketball prodigies as ATMs. Stop it. He'll get better. He'll be fine eventually. I hope. I'm pretty sure of it. But it's easy to bury the kid today. Were you ready at 19 for fame and fortune?

I wasn't. I wasn't. I came from a divorced family. I didn't have the ecosystem. I didn't have the structure for it. Go ahead, bury the kid. He's a fantastic young player. And my guess is he's a fantastic kid.

He's just immature. And the basketball culture does too little to fix that. Another cautionary tale that could have been addressed years ago. Memphis knew what was going on. so did his dad who I don't know but even he I imagine today has some regrets. J-Mac with a news. No, no, no, no, no.

Turn on the news. This is the herd line news. I've been on that thing for about five years. I'm going to pace myself on John Morant today because that's a mess. Let's get to another mess. The 76ers, they were up three-two in the series, end up choking it away as predicted, like you said, on this show.

Joel M. Bid It was worse than I thought, though. I didn't think. I thought it was, I was almost going to post. So I literally put it out. I was going to tweet right before, because I sat down a bowl of popcorn. I was going to sit there with a red bowl and watch the basketball game, and I was going to say Celtics by 10,

Tatum has 28. Little did I know, he almost doubled it. Yeah, I mean, Tatum was incredible. M. Bid, though, he's the MVP of the league, Colin, but let's just prove you. You can't build a title contender around Joel Mbine. He's not a number one.

Fight for 18 in game seven? So I have a question. Like, come on. Al Horford, who's like 40, him and Robert Williams took out Embed, the MVP in game seven. Here's my thing. When I watch the Sixers play, because Hardin's leaving, but Hardin tends to be a pound the ball, everybody sits and watches him. So does Embed.

He gets the ball, he toys around. So the ball dies. When he and Hardin are on the court, even though they're the biggest stars, the ball movement gets suffocated. And it's like, when you give the ball ball. to Yokic or Anthony Davis, they make a move and go for it. Stuff's happening. They're not ponderous.

And so M. Bede's game, although dominant, I don't think is built for a cohesive, fast. I mean, watch the Warriors play. Now, the Warriors, you can bang on them, but they got four titles. It's fast. Everybody's moving, screening. Embed would crush that offense. You'd put him in the middle and it would bounce, bounce, bounce. So I know he's great, but I think Yokic, and we're seeing it,

the playoffs is a more valuable player and a more consistent player. Boy, Embed in the 80s and 90s would have been right there with like Elijah Juan Ewing. That's a great point. And let's just be real. He's not the passer that Yokic is and Yokic is way more valuable. At any rate, Embed did take the blame for the loss, which is good unlike Devin Booker, who's cowardly afraid to meet the media. No, no, seriously, that's the truth.

Devin Booker's ducking the media in Phoenix. Hasn't talked to him since the game six flame out. Embed at least took the blame for the loss. Here's what he had to say. I got to be better and I will be better. That's what I'm focused on. You know, all of us, we got to, you know, come back and find ways to just keep improving and, you know, help the team. You can't win alone.

I can't win alone. I can't. Me and James, we just can't win alone. You know, that's why basketball is played 5-on-5. So, you know, we just need our body to just, you know, try to keep finding ways to get better and, you know, we'll be fine. Now, I will say this. One of the things Yonis did, which is very redeemable, is he kept evolving his game. He got to become a better outside shooter, better ball handler over his career. With Embed, there's an old school big to him where it's like, this is my game and this is kind of what I do.

And a lot of players, Carmelo Anthony never evolved, right? This is my game. This is what I do. Whereas LeBron, very early in his career, if you go back to about year six or seven, he really moved to the perimeter instead of just being a freight train. So a lot of this is, is this just, to your point, is this just Embed's game? This is what he is. I mean, Anthony Davis is defending on the perimeter.

Anthony Davis. Did you see Joel M. B. trying to defend Tatum on the perimeter? Did you see how that worked out? I think Tatum scored like 32 points when he was guarded by it. Some ridiculous number. Just cooking him off the dribble. Colin, again, I've been pushing at this network for two years now that the Sixers should bring in Damien Lillard.

I got to ask you this. If you're Damien Lillard, do you want to go play with Embed? Or are there, let me explore my other options. Because I think... I just don't know that you can build a title contender around Embed. I... They haven't got past the semifinals. No, no, no. And the East has been, let's face it, last 20 years, the West has been better than the East. So if you can't invest, if you can't advance in the East, it's like, okay, I don't have a problem that he won the MVP.

Like, I get it. The NBA, the MVP is a story as much as it is an award. That's why they gave it to, you know, the people they've given it to. Hardin has never been the most valuable anything. But he's just, he scores a lot and he's fun and the optics are fun and he had a different move. But I do, when I watch him play, there are times, there are times in both games six and seven. I was watching on television, and I thought, take him on. the floor, get the ball movement going. You become too static. You're not moving the ball and making

the Celtics defend. The Celtics basically just hover in on Embed. And it's like that's the easy way to play defense. All right. Two more quick ones. So I'm telling you that you can buy stock in the Sixers right now ahead of the offseason, ahead of, you know, Doc Rivers might be fired before the show's over. Who knows? You could buy stock in the Sixers, the Cavaliers, or the Knicks going forward. Whose stock are you buying today? As of this moment, nine. It's a great question. With the Sixers, I feel like I'm kind of

stuck with M.B. With the Cavs, though I love their young talent, is Donovan Mitchell a playoff guys? Okay, all right, all right. With the Knicks, I get an absolute quarterback, excellent size and length.

Randall's either a three or you move him. But they've got some young pieces here. There's a lot of people that would go get R.J. Barrett or Julius Randall. Don't be shocked if the Warriors don't ask about Julius Randall, somebody with size who can score. Carl Anthony Towns and the Knicks is a big, he might be the perfect floor spacer, but I'm telling you right now, Sixers will be third in that list, right? Knicks, Cavs, Sixers? Well, I think Hardin is gone, don't we? I know, but I love Maxie and Tobias Harris is fine. PJ Tucker. You love Maxie? Did he have a defining moment in this series? Name one, seven games.

He's a kid. Okay. You said he was the number two. too. I need you to step up. Well, Boston's pretty good. Okay. Next one. This is spicy. I probably shouldn't toss this out this early on a Monday morning. Charlotte wins the lottery. Tomorrow's a lottery. The Wembeyanama sweet fix.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you are Philly, do you say, hey, Charlotte, Joel Embed and whatever you want, give me the number one pick. Who would you rather have Joel and Bede and whatever this extra-off? I'll take on bad contracts. Who do you want? Embedneedmaeat or Wemniamma tomorrow? Wembaimma. He's also very inexpensive.

It's all I needed to hear. Doesn't have the injury history. Yeah, I've told you before in the NFL, if Caleb Williams came into the league next year and Arizona had the pick, I would move off Kyler Murray. Somebody moved off Josh Rosen for Kyler Murray, and Kyler Murray, it's not just the game and the size and the injuries. It's a lack of maturity that bothers me. I know Caleb Williams, that's not going to be an issue.

So, I mean, these are decisions. And Kyler Murray, by the way, on the market, a lot of people would want Tyler Murray. are not quite an MVP yet. No, no, no, no. And B'd won the MVP. There's probably, what, five quarterbacks that you would keep, maybe six or seven that you would keep over Caleb Williams. Well, there's maybe like five or six players I would keep over Wambinyama in the NBA,

and Embedd's not one of them. And I don't think that's that harsh. I don't think that's a hot take at all. All right. How many people would you keep over Wemianama? I mean, honestly, if you did a list. It's not many. Well, because Tatum's now in his prize.

Oh, Tatum, for sure. Yeah, you'd keep Tatum. I would keep Steph. I'm sorry for the next four years. The list gets... Yokic, I think you got to keep Yokic. You know, I'm not as big on Luca as you, but a lot of people. I'm not trying Luca.

Yeah, I know. Most people aren't. I get it. I'll come around on that eventually. Like my Lakers. I look like Devin'nbuker. I take Wemanniamma. Yeah, same.

Kevin Durant. Webbingyama at this point. Yeah. Zion. Just kidding. No, that's not close. All right, next story, Colin. So the Suns did not waste long to fire Monty Williams after that in back.

I mean, they got deep pantsed. I think it was Thursday. Are we sure he's the problem? Yeah. Williams led the sons, three playoff appearances. Everybody likes him as a coach. Coach of the year last year. They lost in the finals.

I like Monty. He's just a great person. That being said, this owner, and you know we don't like to talk about billionaires on the show, but I was reading yesterday or two days ago about Ishpia, the owner of this. This is a guy who got in Yokic's face and flopped. Yeah. Okay.

Took over his dad's business, you know, became a billionaire. First movie makes two minutes in. Give me Kevin Durant. The GM had no say in that. That was all the owner. So now you think the GM fired the coach, or you think that was Ishby, the billionaire? That was the billionaire.

A billionaire born on third base. Who's he going after? He's going big game hunting. He's going to go get Ty Lou. Okay. But do you know who his GM could be? Because there was a certain player sitting next to him when Yokic and him got into it.

Former player, Hall of Famer, Detroit Pistons, point guard, Isaiah Thomas. I was reading that Isaiah Thomas was at every single son's game road and home this postseason. Well, that's his choice, then. Isaiah Thomas, hanging out with the owner, home and away.

Major shakeup coming to the suns. There's a lot of speculation that's going to be Isaiah Thomas. As the new GM. The NBA fires more good coaches than anybody. I mean, that's just the reality of the league. Okay. So I think Monty Williams is not the problem. I think they traded one extra person to get KD.

I understood it, but they were thin, then Chris Paul got hurt, then Aiton. Again, I don't think they're miles off. I think they have to get... No, I think they need Kevin Durant to get on the phone with Booker and go get a bench. How can you get a bench? There's one guy you can trade, and I don't know what his value is. I posted this on my Instagram. Did you see Booker and Aiton getting into it on the bench?

Oh, no, no. In Phoenix. Aiton struggles. Booker's trying to coach him, and Aiton's basically like, don't talk to me. I don't want to hear from you. Chris Paul had to intervene. Chris Paul, who yells at everybody, had to tell Booker like, hey, settle down. And that was a game they won.

I know. I know. It's a problem. This Aiton's situation is very ugly. I don't... You want Ait and you want a 7-footer? No, he's going to get moved. All right.

Final story. Last undefeated in the USF... Last undefeated team in the USFL went down. New Orleans Breakers suffered the first loss of the season. Memphis Showboats, with a big-time upset. Breakers were up late in the fourth, but Showboats, QB. Cole Kelly found tight-end John Mitchell for a TD and the two-pointer with 21-10 win. Fun little Sunday on the gridiron.

I watched movies Friday. A lot of basketball. Would you see anything good? Vice. I watched it for the second time. Christian Bale is the greatest American actor. Vice? It is. See, I like government.

I never even heard of it. Well, he's the greatest actor. So he's from Great Britain. He has a fascinating story. I was on Wikipedia all day yesterday with Christian Bail. He's the greatest actor, I think, alive today. This is the same bail who was Batman, right? Yep.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He's awesome. His portrayal of Dick Cheney. It looks like a documentary. You're like, is this a movie or a documentary? That's Dick Cheney. It's one of the great performances I've ever seen in my life. It is so good.

And again, I've watched that movie twice. That has become a top 20 movie for me all time. All time. I love that movie. Wait, has it passed the Mission Impossible series? It's close. This guy. Mission Impossible or Vice.

Love Mission Impossible. Love Tom Cruise. J. Mack with the news. Well, that's the news. And thanks for stopping by. The Her Live News. Yeah, Christian Bail moved. I mean, this kid was never in the same house, same school, moved all over.

No formal training. No formal training. And I think he's our greatest living actor. He is unbelievable. Wasn't he in the big short, the Michael Lewis book? I think he's in that one too. Yes, he is good. Oh, God, he's so good.

Be sure to catch live editions of the Herd weekdays in noon Eastern 9 a.m. Pacific. Hey, I'm Doug Gottlie. the podcast is called All Ball. We usually talk all basketball all the time, but it's more about the stories about what made these people love their sport and all the interesting interactions along the way. We talk to coaches, we talk to players,

we tell you stories. You download it, you listen to it, I think you like it. Listen to All Ball with Doug Ghalib on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged.

It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win. A win is a win. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined.

And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports. sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast, it's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be.

Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away,

such as the biology of tauntons and wampas on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to Stuff to Blow Your Mind on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Sunday on FS1 with a million bucks on the line, NASCAR's best. Take on the historic track at North Wilkesboro for the All-Star Race. It all begins at 5 Eastern with the All-Star Open, with engines firing at 8. Don't miss the heart-pumping action Sunday on FS1.

Well, I know, I know. You think I'm a Golden State Warrior Homer. That's sad, really. But I did not think they were a championship team. I did think they'd beat the Lakers. But I said all year, they're two Steph reliant, two step reliant, and he's 35. He's not 28. They don't have any front court scoring.

Kvon Looney's their only true big, and he is a non-scoring threat. So they need to acquire somebody a big that at least is a scoring threat. Now, Carl Anthony Towns will be on the market. He's a little squirly, can be immature, can disappear. Now, you may just roll your eyes at Carl Anthony Towns, but let me give you three other players for the Timberwolves. Kevin Garnett, Andrew Wiggins, Jimmy Butler, all left and felt like they got better. Maybe it's the T-wolves.

Steph, Klan, Dremont are all coming back. Steph's still elite. Dremont, but he does, still elite. Now, I know you don't like Clay Thompson, and I would acknowledge he better give them a team-friendly deal. But he did lead the NBA in made three-pointers, and he shot like 41%. He just had a lousy series against the Lakers. They would like to keep Andrew Wiggins, good defender, and they want to get a full season

out of him. And I think they'd like to keep Jordan Poole. He's flaky. But when Steph gets hurt or takes a seat, who's going to score? What they'd like to do is, I think, move Kavon, Looney and some role players and get a big. They're going to have to make big decisions, but Steph, Clay, and Draymond aren't going anywhere. I would consider moving Clay Thompson. That doesn't appear to be in the cards. But the key is, because of this offense, they've known this was a whole, this part of their

roster for three years. It's why they drafted James Wiseman. He just wasn't ready. And so what I've been told inside the building, and I think this is understood in the league, whatever they do has to be on Steph Curry's timeline. No silliness, no kids, you're not ready, no 19-year-olds. Cuminga still struggles to get on the floor. Young Moses Moody still struggles to get on the floor. This is a very sophisticated culture. Squirly guys and kids do not work.

So my guess is they're going to go to try get somebody already in the league. That's an adult that is somewhat of a scoring threat inside. Too much of their scoring is all loaded into the back court. They could move a Dante DiVincenzo. They can move again at Gary Payton. They could move Jordan Poole. They got a lot of options moving players in the back court.

But they got to get a big who can score. At least a threat to score. It doesn't have to be 25 a night. It could be 17. It's got to be something. Steve Kerr talked about his season and the warrior season ending. We didn't feel like a championship team all year, but we had the guts and the fortitude to

still believe, to be fair, I think this team probably, you know, ultimately maxed out. I think, you know, we were barely in the playoff picture for most of the year. This is not a championship team. They're not. They're not. By the way, when you go back and look at the greatest teams ever, like Jordan's teams didn't get a ton of scoring from. Bill Cartwright or Will Purdue or at times Luke Longley, but they got enough and they also had

incredible size. This is a very tiny team. So if you're a small team, it's fine. But when you're a small team with zero scoring threat on the interior, you become very dependent on a 35-year-old Steph Curry. Dude needs more help. So Doc Rivers lost again in a big game. He's now 6 and 10 all time in game sevens, although if you listen to the critics, you'd think he was 0 and 16. He is on a nine-game losing streak to clinch a conference finals' birth.

And it ain't great. But I do think, whereas Doc Rivers worked in this league 10 years ago as a head coach, maybe seven or eight years, he's known as a culture coach. And the game with analytics is becoming much more about

in-game adjustments and in-series adjustments. He's got a Joe Tory quality. He can get the egos and the adults and the squabbles right. He did that with the clippers. They were dysfunctional. He made him relevant. Never great, but relevant.

When he got to Philadelphia, the Ben Simmons mess, he cleaned it up. People started getting along, but they've never been great. I just think Doc's not a rigid guy. He's a culture guy. And that's what he leans into. Darwin Ham, you saw him making tweaks throughout the series. That's now the NBA. Things change.

We've seen it in the NFL. Defensive coaches, even legends, Bill Belichick, are tone deaf, can't draft skill people. This is the slowest NFL team offensively, and they drafted guards and kickers. They don't get it. The culture has changed, and Belichick's a legend. Greg Popovich, a legend, struggled to embrace the team. the three ball still does. Bobby Knight, a legend, wouldn't embrace one and done. Nothing punctures brilliance among legends like rigidity, like the inability to evolve. I'm not saying Doc Rivers

is Belichek. I'm not saying he's Popovich or Bobby Knight. What I'm saying, he's an old school coach in a new school world where Spolstra, we saw it with Darwin Ham, Steve Kerr. Budenholzer, by the way, came from a very big system like San Antonio, he struggled to tweak in game. So sometimes guys are old school in every industry. They're just old school. Even in an industry that is very fluid and young and progressive like tech, you know, Google buys YouTube. YouTube.

TV. Then they buy the NFL package, right? Whereas Yahoo led the world, number one internet provider. What's Yahoo today? even in tech there are people that evolve people that don't people that get stuck in the sand people that get embedded the way it used to be or the former business it's hard it's hard to constantly evolve and get the right timing and the right pieces but i feel like doc's not a bad coach he's an old school coach in a new school game the NBA and you're seeing it it is so now three

ball reliant uh speed and spacing um and i just feel like docs and is 60s, he'd be a great TV analyst. He made the Clippers relevant, cleaned him up. He made the Sixers relevant, cleaned him up. But in neither case, did you feel like you were getting the adjustments needed in 2023 NBA? And Doc Rivers talked about

failing badly in game 7. I'm disappointed. I thought we had the right group. I really did. And I knew, you know, it's funny, I look out. And I, you know, you talk about keeping receipts sometimes. times, you know what I mean? I don't think a person in this room picked the Sixers, you know, that won. But we did. And we chose to believe that we could win anyway. And we almost

pulled it off. By the way, Tom Thibodeau with the Knicks. What is he known as? A big culture guy. Nick fans are asking this morning, do we have the right coach? He's created a relentless, tough, formidable Nick's culture. Can we get to the next level? Again, Doc Rivers, got rid of the Ben Simmons thing, and Bede, hardened, Maxie Harris seemed to get along.

Dwayne Casey in Toronto was this. Kind of cleaned up the culture. Then they brought in Nick Nurse to get a title. Like, they're just different styles of coaches. And so some guys are heavy into culture. By the way, I'm not saying Kerr and Spolster aren't good at that.

I'm not saying Darwin Ham's not good at that, but you can watch Darvinham tweak. I mean, literally tweak half to half quarter to quarter. You can watch Spolstra, Steve Kerr do it. And I can still like Doc Rivers. I really do like him, but he feels a little bit like Tibbs. Like you got a culture guy can clean it up, but has he leaned too far into culture, not enough into pivoting in-game adjustments?

I don't know. There's an argument to be made. Clearly this morning, J-Max already got him fired and working at a TV network. So you're ready to let him go. Listen, Darryl Morey's got a lot of decisions in Philadelphia. There's a lot happening there. And again, I don't know that you can totally blame Embed for everything that happened there. I just, as they're constructed, Colin, do you think this team is ever going to get by Boston?

No. Get by Janus-led team. Miami's heat culture, the Knicks, the Cavs. There's a lot, though, I like about Philadelphia. I said this. Everybody kept telling me, oh, you got to trust it. And I'm like, I can love watching you. and not trust you.

It's date, not marriage. It's a great relationship. Don't trust it long term. That's Philadelphia. I think they're a blast to watch. The egos, the alpha, the big shots. But when I watch them, it's time to move off Hardin. Stop telling me he's going to be dependable.

Like, he's a role player with fashion. Do you have his numbers in front of you for what he did in the four losses? No, no. 21% shooting in four losses. But he did win two games for you straight up. And B didn't win one game in that series for them. Hardin had over 40 points and the game winning three in two. Two games.

I know. But that's what role players do. They're great every third game. I need guys. Maxie's going to give you the same effort, four to five games. Is he going to do that without Hardin? I think so. You're going to step up. Think.

Austin Reeves or Maxie? Well, I still think the Celtics can win. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smigel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, Nell's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque.

Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's super. Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, what's good, y'all? You're listening to Learn the Hard Way with your favorite therapist and host care games.

This space is about black men's experiences, having honest conversations that's really not safe to have anywhere. but you're having him with a licensed professional who knows what he's doing. How many men carry a suit are armored. It signals to the world that you're not to be played with. And just because you have the capability that does not mean that you need to, listen to learn the hard way on the IHard radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an IHart podcast.

Guaranteed human.